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1.09.2013

Apophis

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Asteroid Apophis will have its nearest
approach to planet Earth today, January 9. Viewers can watch the live
streaming of the asteroid flyby at the website Slooh.com. The online
sky-watching service will also provide footages from other
observatories all over the world.

The future for Apophis on Friday, April
13 of 2029 includes an approach to Earth no closer than 29,470 km
(18,300 miles, or 5.6 Earth radii from the center, or 4.6 Earth-radii
from the surface) over the mid-Atlantic, appearing to the naked eye
as a moderately bright point of light moving rapidly across the sky.
Depending on its mechanical nature, it could experience shape or
spin-state alteration due to tidal forces caused by Earth's gravity
field.

This is within the distance of Earth's geosynchronous
satellites. However, because Apophis will pass interior to the
positions of these satellites at closest approach, in a plane
inclined at 40 degrees to the Earth's equator and passing outside the
equatorial geosynchronous zone when crossing the equatorial plane, it
does not threaten the satellites in that heavily populated region.

Using criteria developed in this research, new measurements
on this approach,2013 will likely confirm that in 2036 Apophis will
quietly pass more than 49 million km (30.5 million miles; 0.32 AU)
from Earth on Easter Sunday of that year (April 13).

Asteroid Apophis' radar observations
will greatly help in improving the asteroid's orbit analyses as well
as identifying the impact chances. "Due to the proximity of its
orbit to Earth, Apophis is being considered as a potential target for
both robotic and crewed spacecraft missions," NASA's JPL further
stated.